Casa Brandariz

I live in New Orleans, and this place reminded me of some of my favorite boutique places there. The rooms are all different, and sometimes a bit strange. My wife and I had a bed that I think was three beds pushed together, like the little old lady in the shoe with a bed for all ten children. I loved it. I don’t know why it was so big, but it was fun. The hot water sometimes isn’t perfect. The balcony was barely big enough for me, but I made sure to sit out with crackers, cheese, and wine, like I’d read about. There may not be much to do there, apart from imagining Don Quixote and Sancho showing up to sit by the fire with you. The fireplace is the real reason I’m writing this review. I didn’t see it in the pictures, but for me it’s the main reason to go. Yes, you can sit in it. It’s in the original part of the house, built in the 1500s, with an old church bench and a couple of chairs. There was always a fire. I was there in spring, stayed three nights, and did almost nothing but sit by that fire, rest, and meditate. One night, some European pilgrims showed up and we connected. We had dinner together, family style, in the restaurant, then sat around the fire drinking wine and learning how alike we can be. That fireplace is a sacred space. Adjust your expectations. Think of visiting a distant relative, or an innkeeper a friend recommended on your pilgrimage. It could be more than 500 years ago, or two or three hundred. Then you’ll be grateful for whatever you find there. Turn off your phone and visit the past. Start by sitting at that fireplace, look up the chimney, and enjoy the acoustic covers CD, whose name I forgot because I was having such a good time just being there. If you’ve never hung out by the fire with friends and strangers, it’s a different kind of experience. If you have, it’s a religious experience to sit in a family and friends gathering spot that’s over 500 years old. It’s not Holiday Inn, thank God!